Joseph Hamilton Wright Jr, 18, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of May 2, 2022, at an apartment complex on Ladson Road in North Charleston. Police were dispatched about 12:15 a.m. after multiple callers reported gunfire; witnesses described hearing shots followed by a woman’s scream and later said suspects had opened fire on a vehicle. Wright was not at the scene when officers arrived — he had been taken by private vehicle to Summerville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m. The Charleston County Coroner identified him as the deceased.

Within a week investigators developed leads and on May 8, 2022, North Charleston police charged 19-year-old Philip Stevens Jr. with one count of murder in connection with Wright’s death. Stevens also faced three counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and breaking and entering a vehicle, reflecting that others were believed to have been in danger in the incident. The case is proceeding through the South Carolina judicial system and more details are expected to emerge.

If anyone witnessed the shooting that night, saw the vehicle that was fired upon, or has information about what happened at the Ladson Road complex, please come forward.